ITC Transmission

ITC Transmission (ITC a subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp.), also known as International Transmission Company, is an electric transmission company based in Novi, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. The company is in charge of the electric transmission system formerly owned by Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy.

ITC was founded in 1999 as a subsidiary of Detroit Edison (itself a subsidiary of DTE Energy), charged in the ownership, operation and maintenance of Detroit Edison's transmission system. ITC would be fully spun out from Detroit Edison in April 2004, following a transition period that begun in December 2002. Detroit Edison was required to spin off ITC, in preparation for electric utility deregulation in Michigan.

Electric grid systems

ITC Transmission

Largely overlapping Detroit Edison's area, and launched on March 1, 2003, ITC's transmission line voltages are 345,000 volts, 230,000 volts, 138,000 volts, and 120,000 volts. ITC has three 345kV interconnections with First Energy Corporation in Ohio, via that company's Toledo Edison subsidiary (Bayshore-Monroe line, Majestic-Monroe-Allen Junction line, and the Majestic-Lemoyne line). Though owned by ITC these lines reside on towers designed by Consumers, as they pass through part of their service area in southern Monroe and southeastern Lenawee Counties. There are four interconnections with Hydro One in Ontario, Canada—one 345kV (St. Clair-Lambton #1) and three 230kV (Keith-Waterman line, St. Clair-Lambton #2 line and the Bunce Creek-Scott line). Currently, ITC is proposing a new 345 kv Line in the Thumb Region so it can support new wind farms. This project is expected to be built with steel tubular towers in a double-circuit arrangement. This will be completed by 2015. ITC Transmission has 2,700 circuit miles of transmission lines, with 17,000 transmission towers and poles and 155 substations. This subsidiary serves a population of 5.1 million people in 13 metro-Detroit counties. This subsidiary became independent in April 2004. This subsidiary has 230 kv lines that traverse the metro area including Shelby Twp where two meet at the Jewell Substation. The recognizable transmission line in the area is the so called "Edison Corridor". There are two double-circuit 345 kV lines, portions of it become single circuit. and two 120 kV lines with one heading toward the northeast starting from the Bismark Substation to the Lenox Substation. This corridor extends 20 miles (32 km) through Warren from the Stephens Substation and through Sterling Heights and Utica, and finally Shelby Twp and Washington Twp.

METC

On October 2006, ITC completed the acquisition of METC, or Michigan Electric Transmission Company. Largely overlapping Consumers Energy's area, METC system uses line voltages of 345,000, 230,000 and 138,000 volts. Consumers retained radial 138 kV lines as well. Consumers recently installed a 230 kV line running from Traverse City northest to Kalkaska, Michigan particularly made of steel poles with three insulators or conductors, which is the first 230 kV transmission line in its system known as the Keystone to Clearwater 230 kV Line. METC has four 345KV interconnections with American Electric Power, via AEP's Indiana Michigan Power division: Palisades-Cook #1, Palisades-Cook #2, Argenta-Collingwood and Argenta-Irwin. METC has six other 138kv interconnections with other utilities: one 138kv interconnection each with Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Barton-Batavia line) and Alpena Power Company; two with Edison Sault Electric Company in the eastern part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (McGulpin-Straits #1 and McGulpin-Straits #2; these lines are submerged under the Straits of Mackinac); and two 138KV interconnections with the Lansing Board of Water & Light (Davis-Oneida line and the Davis-Enterprise line). METC serves 4.9 million people in 53 Michigan counties. METC includes 5,400 circuit miles of transmission lines, with 44,000 transmission towers and poles and 81 substations. METC is currently working on capital projects including the 138 kv Rebuild project in East Tawas, and the 138 kv Oakland-Tihart line.

Interconnections between ITC and METC

There are four 345kV interconnections between the ITC and METC systems to the west of Detroit Edison's service area (Majestic-Tompkins line, Majestic-Battle Creek-Oneida line, Jewell-Thetford line, and the Pontiac-Hampton line), plus five 120/138kV interconnections (the Custer-Whiting line, Genoa-Latson line, Hemphill-Hunters Creek line, Washtenaw-Lark-Blackstone line and the Atlanta-Thetford-Karn line). Since Consumers' transmission voltage is 138kV, Detroit Edison has 120/138kV transformers in the substations on their end of the lines so that they can tie into Consumers' system. These two subsidiaries combine together in Michigan's lower peninsula, and they are both headquartered in Novi, Michigan.

Other subsidiaries

ITC Midwest

ITC Midwest is ITC's transmission system in Iowa, southern Minnesota and northwest Illinois; it was created on December 20, 2007 following ITC's acquisition of Interstate Power and Light's transmission system.

ITC Grid Development

Established in 2006, ITC Grid Development was established to explore new investment opportunities in the nation's transmission grid. This subsidiary is focused on partnering with local entities and utilities to improve electric reliability through infrastructure improvements and a creation of a regional transmission grid. ITC Grid Development is focusing on 2 states, Kansas and Oklahoma, where ITC Great Plains became a subsidiary.

External links

• ITC Holdings